Download Driver For AMD Catalyst Linux Display Driver 12.1

AMD is also releasing new Linux drivers for its Radeon video cards at the same time as drivers for Windows. The download is just over 100MB in size, but can be used in both 32 and 64bit environments. Version 12.1 is compatible with Radeon HD 2400 and higher, the FireStream 9170, 9250 and 9270, and the embedded E2400 and E4690. In addition, versions 6.9 through 7.6 of X.org, Linux kernel 2.6 and above, and glibc versions 2.2 and 2.3 are supported. AMD has not supplied release notes with the Linux driver for some time, but Phoronix did they find the following information:

AMD Catalyst 12.1 Driver For Linux

• Ubuntu 11.10 “production” support. The Catalyst driver has worked under Ubuntu 11.10 “Oneiric Ocelot” for a number of releases now, but now it’s deemed “production” capable. However, as already reported in the forums, if you try to build the Debian packages from the Catalyst 12.1 installer, it’s actually broken. You’re better off waiting for the Catalyst 12.1 packages to appear in an Ubuntu PPA or the updates repository. If you want to build the packages youself, fetch the latest fglrx-packaging build scripts from Phorogit (a Phoronix Media owned property) where the official Catalyst Linux packaging scripts are housed.
• Catalyst 12.1 has early-look support for SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 (SLED11) Service Pack 2.
• Various packaging script updates from Phorogit.
• Known issues still under Ubuntu 11.10 include: LP#884564 display overlap problem (NUX), LP#885989 White screen on second screen (nautilus), LP#885991 No window manager on second screen (compiz, gnome-session), LP#882916 Panning doesn’t work (gsd and Xserver), LP#838128 Unity crash when use xrandr to enable Single Large Desktop mode (unity, compiz), and LP#898970 Cannot maximize the window to both screens in vertical multi monitor configuration (unity, NUX).
• There is some unannounced OpenCL work that went into Catalyst 12.1.
• The AMD Radeon HD 7970 should now be officially supported by Catalyst 12.1 wit working acceleration and no longer being flagged as “unsupported hardware.” However, I’m still waiting on my Radeon HD 7970 hardware from AMD to confirm.
• The known issues still outstanding in the Catalyst 12.1 world is GNOME Shell doesn’t work with dual-head mode.